When Tempe Regan (MS, raptor biology, 2016) found a dead northern flicker on the ground, it wasn’t just a sad encounter—it was a turning point. “The feathers were so beautiful,” she remembers. “We see flickers pecking on houses and think of them as nuisances. But when I looked at this bird —at the iridescence, the patterns—I realized how little attention we pay to their beauty.”
The fallen flicker became Regan’s first feather study, rendered in delicate graphite and colored pencil. She had five copies of the drawing printed—all of them sold. Now, with time and success behind her, she prints editions of 250.
Regan has been a regional wildlife biologist with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game since 2019. She previously worked as a research biologist with the Intermountain Bird Observatory at Boise State. A native of Superior, Montana, she lives in Salmon, Idaho. When she’s not in the field, Regan is a committed nature artist, selling prints created with archival ink and paper and other merchandise through her website, temperegan.com.
“I recognize that my job is very niche. Not a lot of people do what I do or see what I see. I have the privilege of being up close with animals in the field,” she said.
As a non-game biologist, Regan studies plants and animals that often go unnoticed because they aren’t hunted or fished—species such as bats, songbirds, small mammals, insects and plants. She pays special attention to species of greatest conservation need, from mussels to monarch butterflies to milkweed. These are the living things that make their way into her artwork.
“I’m always thinking about how I can communicate why this bird, or that lizard, or that wildflower matters,” she said.
On the frontline for the underdog
Regan said she draws inspiration from her colleagues in the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s Wildlife Diversity Program. The group, she explained, is made up of biologists devoted to Idaho’s seldom-seen and poorly understood species. “Working often with limited resources, they strive to understand, conserve, and showcase these native non-game animals.”
That same quiet dedication is what stands out about Regan herself, said Rita Dixon, the department’s state wildlife action plan coordinator. “She has championed many of the obscure species that play key roles in our ecosystem, like the rare, native Idaho point-headed grasshopper.” Regan has also spoken up, Dixon noted, for porcupines and rattlesnakes—creatures often misunderstood or maligned.
Regan is currently analyzing five years of data on alpine species, including American pika, whitebark pine and wolverines. She surveys alpine sentinel sites—locations that researchers visit annually to track long-term population trends.
Regan’s work is “incredibly demanding,” Dixon said. “High elevations. She’s up there on talus slopes [steep piles of broken rock]. She has both physical stamina and mental toughness.” Regan also coordinates her research with biologists across Idaho. “Tempe’s eyes and ears are out there, paying attention. She’s watching out, and that’s her job—to protect all wildlife.”
A rich vision
Science and art—both requiring careful observation and the asking of good questions—are natural companions, Regan believes. She notes a long tradition of naturalists who were also artists, like Maria Sibylla Merian, one of her favorites, born in 1647 in Germany. Merian pioneered the documentation of insect life cycles. Following in that tradition, Regan’s time at Boise State as a master’s student in raptor biology gave her a unique opportunity.
“The experiential learning and fieldwork helped me grow as a scientist. But maybe even more important were the professional connections I made across Idaho,” she said. “Presenting my research and networking gave me a platform to become both a scientist and an artist.”
Studio must-have: Prismacolor pencils
“I started with Prismacolor pencils for all of my feather studies. They blend so well—it’s almost like working with paint. You can layer them, then use a colorless Prismacolor to burnish the drawing. It pulls out all the colors beneath—red, blue, purple, navy, green.”